The dancing may sometimes lag, but the singing and the rhythmical rasping of the shaman are kept up through the night, interrupted only once or twice, when he sees fit.  He politely excuses himself to Hikuli, and formal salutations are exchanged with the plant under the bowl both when he goes and when he returns.  On such occasions he stops his singing and rasping, and notifies Hikuli by striking the notched stick several times quickly with the rasping-stick, and finishing off with three slow beats.

His songs describe how Hikuli walks with his rattles and with his staff of authority; he comes to cure and to guard the people and to grant a “beautiful” intoxication.  To bring about the latter result, the brownish liquor is dispensed from a jar standing under the cross.  A man Serves it in small quantities from agourd, which he first carries around the fire on a rapid run, making three circuits for the shaman, and one for the rest of the assemblage.  The spirits of the feasters rise in proportion to their potations.  Sometimes only the shaman and his assistants indulge in the drinking; on other occasions all the people partake of the liquor.

Song to the Hikuli.

    Hi-ku-li o-ku-li-va-va Ta-mi-sae-li-va re-ga
    Hikuli, uncle!  Our authority thus!

    A-go-na wi-li si-nae Na-na-ja re-ga we-la
    Yonder standing upright, see!  The ancients thus placed him.

The secondary effect of the plant, depression and drowsiness, shows itself more plainly on the company when they sit down between the dancing, than on the well-trained shaman, who, besides, is kept awake by his occupation.  As one or the other of his assistants succumbs to sleepiness, he has to ask permission of Hikuli, through the shaman, to go off and rest for a while, and must properly notify Hikuli of his leaving and returning to duty.  Toward morning all the assistants are struggling hard to overcome somnolence, while the shaman sings and rasps as conscientiously and enthusiastically as ever.

But all rouse themselves for the important acts of curing the people by rasping and of despatching Hikuli.  Just at daybreak, as the fire is dying out, the shaman gives the welcome signal that the dance is over, by the three final raps on his notched stick.  Then the people gather at the eastern end of the dancing-place, near the cross.  The shaman rises from his seat, carrying in his hands his rasping implements, and, followed by a boy who carries a gourd with water, he proceeds to confer upon everybody present the benediction.  Stopping in front of each one, he solemnly dips the point of the rasping-stick into the water, and after touching the notched stick lightly with the wetted end, first in the middle, then on the lower end, and finally on the top, he daubs the head of the person three times with it.  Then he rests the end of the notched stick against the man’s head and rasps three long strokes from end to end, throwing